A feeling of dread came over me as I noticed the fat, overstuffed envelope crammed in my mailbox. It was yet another mailing from my attorney. They seemed to be coming almost daily. Somedays they were bills, and on other days they were copies of the many voluminous letters he was sending or receiving. No matter what was in them, they always filled me with anxiety and dread. This put me in a seemingly permanent state of despair. My world became increasing dark as my storm clouds never seemed to lift.

One day, in the midst of my funk, I dragged myself into my counselor’s office and unloaded. She listened patiently and then gave me some very helpful advice. She said, while I could not change my reality, I could change how I was thinking about it. She stressed that thoughts really do impact emotions, and I could improve my outlook by thinking differently. It sounded too simple. Yet, at her urging, I started thinking about ways I could make the best of the outcome of my divorce, whatever it was. If I lost custody of the kids, I would become a teacher at their school so I could see them daily. If I lost all my money, I would move into a small house and start over. If I lost my friends, I would lean on my loving family for support. Instead of focusing just on the negative, I would push myself to inject some positive thought into my anxious mind. It really helped. The bad news didn’t suddenly stop, but I felt more steady emotionally. I was now approaching each day with my chin up and a sturdier attitude. The sun started peeking out from behind my clouds.

Your mind is an amazing gift. How you use it can be the key difference between hope and despair. Choose hope!

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:8

Originally posted 2014-06-30 06:00:12.

When I was a kid, my parents would allow me to ride my bike two miles to a nearby river where I liked to fish. One day, I decided to take a shortcut that a friend had told me about. The further I went down my new path, the more anxious I became. The river was nowhere in sight, and I had no clue where I was. Instinctively, I just kept peddling faster and faster in hopes of ending my being lost as quickly as possible. This went on for what seemed like an hour. The road finally dead-ended into a woods. Now I was really scared. As I sat on my bike trying to catch my breath and figure out what to do next, I heard the faint sound of flowing water coming from the woods. I parked my bike and walked about thirty feet into the woods. There it was, the river I had been searching for. This portion of the river was a good two to three miles further north than where I normally fished. I was in uncharted territory, for sure. Given that I had already eaten up almost an hour of my precious fishing time, I decided to try my luck right where I was. And am I glad that I did! I caught twice as many fish that day than I ever caught in my regular spot. I had just found my sure-bet fishing hole for the summer.

Life is like my fishing experience. We plan and we work to try and make our future predictable and secure. Yet, in reality, we really don’t know what lies ahead. When we get scared and anxious, we work even harder to try and get back to the known and familiar, as if somehow where we are is wrong. The truth is, it is not wrong, just unknown. The best thing we can do at these times is turn to the one who knows what lies ahead and trust in him to guide us: Christ Jesus. He knows the way. You are where you are for a reason, and if you trust in Christ, and invite him to saddle up next to you, he will lead you to a life that is far better than you can possibly imagine–even if the journey is really scary and uncertain at times!

Some had lost their way in a barren desert; found no path toward a city to live in. They were hungry and thirsty; their life was ebbing away. In their distress they cried to the Lord, who rescued them in their peril. – Psalms 107:4-6

Originally posted 2014-12-29 06:00:19.

I remember how anxious and worried I would be over each new crisis that erupted during my divorce. After the storm passed, I would feel relieved.  I would believe I had dealt with the last major problem and calm seas would now prevail. Wrong.  No matter how many times I went through the same cycle, my level of anxiety and worry never lessened.  I was always a nervous wreck.

Originally posted 2014-07-02 06:00:07.

Originally posted 2014-08-19 06:00:17.